Lethal Weapon Star Talks Reviving Martin Riggs: 'He's a Badass'

Fox’s upcoming Lethal Weapon series,based on the ’80s movie franchise of the same name, stars Clayne Crawford (Rectify) as Martin Riggs and Damon Wayans (My Wife and Kids) as Roger Murtaugh. The drama, which follows an unconventional cop with a death wish (Riggs) after he is partnered with a high-strung, traditional detective and family man (Murtaugh), is set to premiere Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 8/7c.

Crawford recently talked to TVLine about what fans can expect from the new show (and what The Avengers might have to do with it), crazy stunts and more.

HIS NAME IS NO | Alabama native Crawford says he initially turned down the role many times, namely because it was a remake that didn’t “leave time for a lot of fishing and horseback riding.” But after he read the script… “It starts with Matt Miller (Forever). He wrote a great script… I started reading this thing and I’m like, ‘F—k, how do I say no?’ [Riggs is] broken. I love playing broken people, but he’s also a badass, and I really like being a badass,” he explains. The idea of bringing something fresh to the character also sparked his interest. “I thought there was a real challenge, like there is when you do theater, playing these roles that we’ve seen people play a 100 times and bringing something new to it,” he says. “This obviously is not [King] Lear, but I was like ‘What can I do differently with Riggs, that Mel Gibson didn’t do?'”

A NEW BROMANCE TO ROOT FOR | Crawford and Wayans’ very watchable chemistry means “there’s going to be a lot of shenanigans,” Crawford says. “I think the beauty is, Damon and I really like one other and the banter’s easy, because he’s a f—king pro.” While trouble-making pair is going to find themselves in a lot of sticky situations throughout the season, there will not be a lack of laughs. “I think the whole goal is to bring comedy, drama and action, [like] The Avengers. I just need a cape,” Crawford jokes.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR | In the series premiere, we learn Riggs has a late wife, but will the eccentric cop find love again during the course of the series? “I think at some point they’re going to try to incorporate some kind of love interest… And it would be crazy if it was Jordana [Brewster],” he teased about his character’s relationship with Dr. Maureen “Mo” Cahill, played by the Dallas/Fast and the Furious actress.

STUNTS, STUNTS, STUNTS | Car chases, shootouts and explosions, oh my! If the first episode, which features stunts like Riggs jumping from one speeding car to another, is any indication, Lethal Weapon will be full of action and Crawford is up for the challenge. “Warner Bros. would not allow me to make the jump [off of the car onto the ground]… but everything else, 100 percent me,” he says. —Reporting by Kimberly Roots